Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday raked up the Kashmir issue at a multilateral meeting in Kazakhstan, saying that sustainable peace in South Asia was not possible without the resolution of the "core dispute" with India.
Mr. Qureshi made the remarks while addressing the sixth Ministerial Meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) through a video statement. The meeting was hosted by the current CICA Chair, Kazakhstan.
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Mr. Qureshi "underscored that sustainable peace in South Asia would remain elusive until and unless the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved in accordance with the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and the wishes of the Kashmiri people," according to the Islamabad Foreign Office.
India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall forever" remain an integral part of the country. It has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.
In his address at the CICA held in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in a veiled attack on Pakistan, said that cross-border terrorism is not statecraft but simply another form of the menace as it called upon the international community to unite against this evil, as seriously as it does on issues like climate change and pandemics.
In his virtual address, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mr. Qureshi also touched upon the situation in Afghanistan.
Noting the negative impact of four decades of war and conflict in Afghanistan, Mr. Qureshi called upon the international community to support the Afghan people in their quest for peace, stability and development at the critical juncture in their history.
He lauded CICA’s role in providing an invaluable platform for promoting peace, security and development on the Asian continent through dialogue and cooperation.
The Foreign Minister also called for a just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question through the two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the CICA process and the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia.
